1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to vertical blinds and, in particular, to vertical blinds of the type in which individual slats of the vertical blinds are both laterally movable and pivotable.
2. Description of Related Art
Vertical blinds are commonly employed in offices and homes to allow one to conveniently adjust the amount of light entering the room through a window. A typical vertical blind assembly includes a head rail, which mounts above a top horizontal edge of a window, and a plurality of individual vertical slats which hang downwardly from the head rail for blocking light entering through the window. Mechanisms are provided within the head rail for laterally moving the slats and for pivoting the slats. With lateral movement, all of the slats of the vertical blind are simultaneously drawn to one end of the head rail, where the slats are compressed together in a closely-spaced coplanar arrangement. Drawing all slats of the vertical blind assembly to one end of the head rail allows a maximum amount of light to enter the room. When a lesser amount of light is desired, the slats are moved in the direction of an opposing end of the head rail, whereby the slats separate, with individual spacing between the slats increasing, ultimately to a configuration where the slats are generally equally spaced beneath the head rail. To completely darken the room, a second mechanism is employed for rotating each of the individual slats about a respective vertical axis, whereby the slats are moved from a configuration where they are each substantially perpendicular to an axis running along the head rail to a configuration wherein each individual slat is substantially parallel to the axis of the head rail. In the latter configuration, the slats lie closely adjacent with the side edge of one slat overlapping a side edge of an adjacent slat, such that light is substantially completely blocked from entering the room.
A wide range of materials is employed for constructing the vertical assembly, and a wide range of mechanisms is employed for laterally translating the vertical slats and for pivoting the vertical slats.
Thus, the typical vertical blind assembly allows considerable flexibility in regulating the amount of light entering a room by utilizing a combination of the lateral translation of the slats and the vertical pivoting of the slats. Hence, the conventional vertical blind assembly has functional advantages over a curtain. However, a conventional curtain has certain desirable features that a typical vertical blind assembly lacks. For example, a curtain, particularly a translucent curtain, can provide diffuse illumination of a room while still maintaining full privacy. The vertical blind assembly, when closed sufficiently to ensure privacy, does not allow much light to enter the room and, when opened to allow light, does not afford complete privacy. Further, the curtain has the advantage of providing a soft, diffused illumination, whereas sunlight shining through partially opened vertical blinds can yield a stark, high contrast illumination.
Heretofore, the advantages of both a vertical blind and a curtain have not effectively achieved in a single assembly.